If Earth makes one complete rotation on its axis every 23 hours and 56 minutes, how does day and night not being flipped on our clocks after six months? (6monthx30dayx4min/60=12hour)

Question

And why leap year happens once per 4 years only to address this?

In: 1081

Answer 1

Try this demonstration. Have a friend stand in the middle of a room. You stand four or five feet from your friend and face your friend. Now, look to the wall behind your friend so that you can tell when you have turned one time. Start to walk a circle around your friend. Walk 1/4 of the way around your friend. Turn as you walk until you face the wall again. You have completed one revolution, turning 360 degrees. Are you facing your friend? No, you need to turn another 90 degrees to face your friend. It works the same way with the Earth. Each day Earth needs to rotate almost one extra degree as it traces a circle around the sun so that the sun will be directly overhead again.